Green is the Color of Spring
by Roga
Summary: Sirius gets excited by frogspawn, and it's spring. Remus, Sirius, MWPP years.


**Green is the Color of Spring**

Between his duties as a Prefect, schoolwork starting to pile up as OWLs loomed ominously in the near future, extra potions for Slughorn (who thought a werewolf was just what his club needed for diversity and that Remus merely had to prove himself in order to attend, whether he wanted to or not), and Sirius's reinforcing additional extra Quidditch practices (scheduled by James who, since appointed team Captain, was apparently determined not to let a week pass by without being called a "maniacal slave-driving tyrant with a broomstick up his arse the size of the Astronomy Tower " by a disgruntled teammate or three), it was rare nowadays to find time they could spend together, alone.

And so, when the weather finally cleared up in mid-April and the sun deigned to present herself to England after four long, dreary months, Remus was delighted at Sirius's invitation to take a stroll outside on Saturday morning. However, that was before he realized he would be competing for Sirius's attention with Hogwart's respectably sized colony of frogs, currently spotting the ground with specks (and the occasional _squelch_) of muddy green.

"Look, Moony, here's another one!" Sirius pointed with excitement at an ugly green lump.

"Are you sure that's not something a Flobberworm's coughed up?"

"It could be, but it's still a frog, see it's got eyes right there'n -- look, Moony, here's another one!"

"It's a brown rock."

"No, _look_, there are legs, they're all webby, it -- look, Moony, here's another one!"

It had been going like that for quite a while, when Remus sighed. "It's because you're a dog, isn't it?"

Sirius had the decency to duck his head abashedly. "I think it might be. I see one and I just want to pounce and _bark--_ I've never been so distracted by amphibians before. Except Snape."

"Well, try to contain yourself, Kermit."

"Who's -- oh, look, Moony, here's another one!" he cried happily, trotting towards the big lake.

Following behind, Remus resigned to the fact that if any quality time was to be spent it would be between Sirius and his semi-aquatic friends, and summoned a small test tube from his room, which was luckily facing the lake with an open window. Unstopping the cork, he dipped down every few meters to pluck a stalk of grass or wildflower, grind them with his fingers, and experimentally drop it in the tube.

"Moony, look!" Sirius exclaimed, and spun around to face Remus. "Oi, what are you doing?"

"Finishing some homework, while we're out here."

Sirius looked hurt. "I thought we were spending time off today. No homework, no Prefect rubbish, no maniacal slave-driving tyrants with broomsticks up their arses the size of --"

"Yes, yes, I've heard it before." Remus couldn't help being a bit amused. "I only have this Slughorn assignment to finish, and you've been… preoccupied."

"Oh. Sorry," Sirius said guiltily. "From now on, I'm a hundred percent you-oriented," he promised. "I've even got something to show you." He pointed at the shallow waters of the lake, keeping his chest facing Remus as if to prove he was indeed Remus-oriented. "Frogspawn!"

Remus suppressed the urge to say, "stop wagging your tail, Sirius." Instead, he sat down on the rocky bank, and said, feeling very old, "they're lovely." When Sirius's energy wore you out you had no choice but to humor him, really.

"They are, aren't they?" Sirius sat down beside him, a bit too close, but Remus was hardly surprised -- when it came to Remus, Sirius seemed to forget the notion _personal space_ had ever existed.

For a short while, they sat on the rocks in comfortable silence, dangling their feet into the water, absorbing the raw budding symptoms of a late-to-arrive spring. Remus alternated between trying different quantities of grass with his potion (which was efficiently self-replenishing, allowing for trial and error), watching Sirius stare with fascination at his frogspawn, and chiding himself for not relaxing on what should by all accounts indeed be a day off, aware that self-reprimanding didn't help much in the way of relaxation.

"I'm starting to get bored," Sirius finally announced. Remus raised a questioning eyebrow. "They're brilliant, but ultimately, they just don't hop," he explained, as if this were as natural a sentiment as James's infatuation for redheads who thought up original ways to circumcise him for an afternoon's enjoyment. "What _are_ you constantly messing with?" Sirius unexpectedly grabbed the test tube, sniffed it, and broke into a grin. "Serenity Syrup! You should have said. I know just what to add!" His hand dipped into the lake.

Remus's eyes widened, and he started to warn, "NO, don't put in any fr --"

But since he could hardly catch up with Sirius even on the best of days, he was, predictably, too late. The last thing he saw was a dazzling smile, and then the test tube exploded.

"So you're saying," James said slowly, "that someone has to kiss it?"

"Yes."

"And this isn't a prank?"

"Yes. Er, no. It's not. Just very old magic."

"And we _have _to turn him back."

"Yes. It's… not easy being green."

James took his time considering his options, and finally shrugged. "Sorry, but get some girl to do it. There are things I'm just not meant for." He got up and left the room nonchalantly, throwing behind, "and make sure she does it before our next Quidditch practice!"

Remus looked at Sirius, who was sitting on his palm. "He's right," he sighed regretfully, getting up to start searching for a girl who'd prove willing to reverse the spell.

Sirius croaked.

He allowed himself a small smile. "Maybe next time."

_A/N: written for the wellymuck LJ community prompt: frogspawn._

_Disclaimer: Characters belong to JKR. Title based, of course, on Jim Henson's song._


End file.
